Welcome to University of Oregon VITA!

Established in 2000 as a result of the efforts of Tracy Fisher, Professor Shannon Dolan, and a team of dedicated IRS representatives, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has been a valuable financial resource for the students, faculty and community members. Volunteers are committed to bringing their certified expertise to help clients fulfill their tax obligations.

If you have any questions about having your taxes prepared, please contact our VP of External Affairs, Ella Wang via email at uobap.externalaffairs@gmail.com.

New Service: International students take up a significant portion of the population of the University of Oregon, and the demand for corresponding tax assistance has been increasing in recent years. Given that, we decided to bring foreign student/scholar tax return preparation to our program in addition to the traditional tax preparation offered to the U.S. citizens and residents. The volunteers will get to understand the tax issues that the international students may encounter as well as the confusion and concern they may experience, and how the newly added service would make a positive impact on their student life at the University of Oregon.

Volunteer Roles

You can sign up for multiple roles, if desired. A volunteer can only serve one role in one session. Volunteers who do not choose roles will be assigned a role. Uncertified volunteers aren’t allowed to answer any tax-law related questions.

● Greeter (Pre-screening)

Greet the taxpayer

Screen clients using service scope

Provide Form 13614-C to the taxpayer for completion, explaining documents required

Log the basic information to the spreadsheet

*Tax law certification is not required for this role

● Client Facilitator (Intake)

Explain the return preparation process

Verify all questions in Parts I-VI have been completed

Determine the certification level of the tax return and assigning the taxpayer to a qualified tax preparer/reviewer

Update the spreadsheet

*Tax law certification is not required for this role

● Tax Preparer (Preparation)

Interview the taxpayer

Check photo identification for the taxpayer and spouse, if applicable, and verifying SSN or ITIN for everyone on the return